Removable koof for the cockpits of



R. SAULNIER Jan. l5, 1952 REMOVABLE FOR THE COCKPITS, OF AIRCRAFT 2SHEETS-SHEET 1 Original Filed Nov. 17, 1949 Jan. 15, 1952 R. SAULNIERREMOVABLE ROOF FORl THE COCKPITS OF' AIRCRAFT 2 SHEETS- SHEET 2 OriginalFiled Nov. 1'7, 1949 INZENTOR.

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Reissueci Jan. 15, 1952 REMOVABLE ROOF FOR THE COCKPITS` F AIRCR AFTRaymond Saulnier, Paris, France Original No.

2,539,331, dated January 23, 1951, Serial No. 127,964, November 17,

1949. Application for reissue August 23, 1951, Serial No. 243,204. InFrance November 24, 1948 4 Claims.

Matter enclosed in heavy (Cl. 244-121) brackets appears in the originalpatent but forms no part of this reissue specification; matter printedin italics indicates the additions made by reissue.

1n the applicants U. S. A. Patent No. 2,125,752 granted on August 2,1938, for Removable roof for the cockpits of aircraft, there has beendescribed an improved device for closing the cockpit of an aircraft bymeans of a roof normally slidable under the control of means operativefrom inside the plane, so as to open or close the pilots cockpit, saidroof being moreover instantaneously detachable and jettisonable by meansof a simple control, also effected from inside the plane in case ofemergency.

This invention has for its object an improvement to the above describeddevice, said improvement having for its purpose to make theroof-releasing control means more simple and more rapid.

According to the invention, the roof is secured on sliding elements suchas carriages by means of controlled locking elements located at the rearend of the roof and by means of xed locking elements located at thefront end of said roof, the fixed locking elements being so arrangedthat the roof is capable of pivoting [by] through a certain angle aboutan axis located at its front end when the rear locking means arereleased, while resilient means urge the roof in the direction of saidpivoting motion, so that it is only necessary to act upon the abovementioned controlled locking means to cause an automatic pivoting motionand the automatic release of the roof.

According to one embodiment, the roof is made integral with twocarriages so mounted as to be slidable each along one rail, said railsbeing arranged on either side of the pilots cockpit, by means of twosliding locking elements provided on either side of the roof in its rearportion, said locking elements being supported on said roof and each ofthem being adapted to engage oneV eye provided on the correspondingcarriage, saidelements being positively controlled against the action ofresilient means and by means of two other fixed locking elements each ofwhich is adapted to engage one eye provided on the correspondingcarriage at the front portion of the roof, said fixed locking elementsbeing capable of pivotingl [by] through a Acertain angle with respect tosaid eyes.

According to a constructive embodiment of the invention, there is alsoprovided in the rear portion of the roof, e. g. above each carriage eye,at least one pushing-rod resiliently urged towards the carriage andcapable of bearing against the same so that, when thepositively-controlled locking elements are removed from thecorresponding eyes, said pushing-rod pivots the roof about an axispassing through the two eyes located at the front end of the roof, so asto release the front fixed locking elements out of their eyes.

The invention will be best understood with reference to the accompanyingdrawings in which an embodiment has been shown as a mere illustration.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view showing a portion of a fuselage comprising aslidable and detachable roof according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing a detail of the carriagessliding on rails provided on the fuselage, said figure also showing howthe roof is mounted on said carriages, and

Fig. 3 is a side view, parts being broken away and parts being insection, showing on a larger scale the details of certain parts shown inFig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown at I the fuselage, at 2 thefixed wind-screen and at 3 the slidable and detachable roof. Roof 3 isconstituted, in the example shown, by a transparent plastic materialelement. Said roof is mounted in a suitable manner on longitudinalmembers l. There is shown at 5 a carriage and at 6 a -rail supported byfuselage I. It is clear that two devices of this type are provided, oneon each side of the fuselage. The carriage supports rollers 1 which areadapted to roll on the above mentioned rail 6. Abutment means 8 areprovided to keep the carriage on the rails. The sliding of the roofalong the rails is ensured by chains 9 actuated in any suitable manner,e. g. by means of a handle I0 provided inside the cockpit.

In the example shown, the chains are anchored on elements 8.

'Ihe connection between roof 3-4 and carriage 5 is ensured, according tothe invention, on each side of the roof, by two locking elements one ofwhich (I I) is movable, the other one (I2) being fixed with respect tothe roof. Element I I may receive, under the action of a suitablecontrol such as e. g. a handle I3, through cables I4, a leftwardssliding motion (considering the device as shown in Figs. 1 and 3),resilient means I5 urging, on the contrary, said element I I from leftto right. The locking elements II are capable of engaging correspondingeyes I6 provided on the carriages while the fixed locking elements I2are adapted to be engaged into two corresponding eyes I1.

The eyes I1 are so arranged that the elements I2 are capable of pivoting[by] through a certain angle when the rear locking is released. To thiseect, for example, the edges of the hole may be rounded, a certainclearance being provided between the rod and said edges, as shown.Alternativeliy, a knee-joint may be:v provided..

Besides, part 4 carries two pushing rods I8 urged downwards by resilientmeans I9, said` pushing-rods passing through holes provided in part 4,so as to bear against the upper face of?" eyes I6.

The operation of this device takes; place, as'.

follows When, in case of emergency,l it'isrequirerto roof about an axispassing through the fronteye's Il, so that the locking elements l2 arereleased from said eyes after which the roof is:` blown awayby the-wind.

This combination of slidingl lockingv means-located'v at the rear end ofthe-roofwithv pushing means pivoting said roof aboutran axisv locatedat-thefront portion-thereof and withxe'cl locking means provided onsaidfrontportionxof the roof, ensures a safe and rapid jettison. whileconsiderably simplifying the construction while decreasing the number ofpartsf which is necessary to ensure simultaneously, according. to thevery principle of` the invention, the possibility, onlrthe-one hand, ofslidingv the roof and, on the other hand, of detachihgv and. jettisoningthe same;

It is to be understoodA that the." invention is in nolway limited to theabove-described embodiment and that many modificationsmay be madethereto within the scope` of. the invention.

What isclaimed is:v 1. In combination with a slidable and.. detach'-able roof for an-aircraftcockpit, a securing defvice comprising movableroof locking means. 1ocated at the rear end ofv saidv roof, meanslocated inside the cockpit to release saidimovableflocking means,separable interlocking elements fixed, respectively, to the front end ofsaidroof andto the aircraft', and adapted to permit pivoting of saidroof [by] through acer-tain angle about; an axis' perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of the cockpit, and resilient means adaptedto'. pivotautomatically said roof aboutt said; perpendicular axis when saidmovable locking means are.v released so as to permitV separation ofsaidinter:- locking elements from each other.

2. In'combination with a slidable and detachable roof for an aircraftcockpit, two longitudinal rails, one on [either] each side 'of thelongitudinal axis' of said cockpit, two carriagesr capable of slidingalong said rails,1,two rods slidably mounted at the rear end of saidroof, one on [either] each side thereof, [twolaneyells] atthe rear endofeach said carriage, [on either. side thereof, elastic] resilient meansurgingy said rods into said eyes; means' located inside the cockpitIto-release positively said rods from said. eyes againstathe action ofsaid resilient means; separable: interlocking elements. xed,respectively,Y tov the i front `end of said roof and to the carriages,and adapted to permit pivoting of said roof [by] through a certain`angle about aniaxisgperpendicular to the longitudinal axisof the;cockpit, and other resilient means adapted to pivot automatically saidroof about said perpendicular axis when said movable locking means arereleased so as to permit separation ofsaid interlocking elements fromeach other.

3; Incombination with a slidable and detachablek roof for an aircraftcockpit, a securing device comprising` movable roof locking meanslocated: atthe rear end of said roof, means located inside the cockpitto release said movable locking means, two rods fixedly secured at thefront end'ofsaid roof, one on [either] each side thereof, two carriages,capable of sliding along said rods, [two] an eye[s], at the front end.of eacl said carriage [on either side thereofl, said eyes being adaptedto receive said rods so that the same while?v being locked'. in saideyes are capable of pivoting` [byliihrough a certain angleabout an axislpassing. through both said. eyes', and resilient means.` to pivotautomatically said roof about said.` axis whenvsaid movable locking.means are releasedseas to permit separationof said rods from saidreyes'.

4. In combination withaslidable and detachable roof` for an aircraftcockpit,` two longitudinal rails; one on .[eit-herjlkeach side of. thelongitudinal axis of said' cockpit, two carriages capablev ofslidingalong saidrails, two rods slidably mounted atthe rear endk ofsaidroof, one on [eitherleach side'thereof, [two] an'. eye|s]1.atl therearl end of each. said carriage,-. [oneither side thereof] resilientmeans urging said rods into. said eyes, means located inside the cockpitto release positively said rods fromsaid eyesy against the action ofsaidresilient means, separable interlocking elements fixed, respectively, tothe front end of said roof f' andV to' the carriages, and adapted; topermitpivoting of said roof EDyIthrOugh azcer.- tainl angle about anaxis perpendicular to the longitudinalaxis of the cockpit, at leastonepushing rodslidably mounted', at the rear` endY of said roofperpendicularly to its longitudinal axis and bearingagainst saidcarriage,and. other resilient means interposed between; said roof andsaid pushing rod to urge the rear end of said roof awayfromsaidcarriageso as to pivot automatically said roof about saidperpendicular axis and permit separation? of. said: interlockingelements from each other:

RAFZMONDn SAULNIER.

REFERENCES CITED f The following references are of record inthe leof'thispatent` or; the original patent:

UNITED` STA'IESl PATENTS

